


All The Scars They Have Made

by DeadMilitia



Category: Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: Bullying, Other, Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-18
Updated: 2015-12-18
Packaged: 2018-05-07 10:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5452853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeadMilitia/pseuds/DeadMilitia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Copeland is being bullied at school and seeks comfort in her dad's long-time friend, Vic Fuentes. Vic learns how severe things have gotten and helps Copeland tell her parents what's going on. </p>
<p>Just a simple oneshot that's better than this summary (hopefully).</p>
            </blockquote>





	All The Scars They Have Made

**Author's Note:**

> The story title comes from "Scars" by Close Your Eyes. You should look it up if you haven't heard it. This was just a oneshot that came to mind while I couldn't sleep and was listening to "Scars." So I decided to write it out to see if I could make myself tired. It is now 6 AM and I am still up. -.-

I was walking through the cafeteria trying to get to my normal seat in the back of the room when I was suddenly tripped. I fell, spilling my tray of food all over myself. I sat there a little shocked for a moment while everyone laughed at me before I jumped up and ran from the room.

"Cope!" I heard my best friend, Izzy, yell as she followed me. I went straight to the girls room before stopping. Izzy came in right after me. I stared at myself in the mirror as the tears started. Izzy put a comforting hand on my shoulder before going to one of the stalls and getting some tissue. She began helping me clean off. "Wait here," she said before leaving. She came back a few minutes later with my gym clothes. I thanked her before going into one of the stalls to change.

"Are you okay?" She asked when I came out, I only nodded and she gave me a sad look.

"I'm fine, Izzy." I told her and I knew that she could tell I was lying. "I don't want to go back to the cafeteria though." I told her and she nodded.

"Okay, we don't have to," she said and I smiled a little. I hate dragging Izzy into all of my stupid drama, but I knew she wouldn't leave my side. We sat on the floor in the hallway, just waiting for the bell to ring so we could go to our next class.

\-----------------

I sat in bed and wrote in my journal. I call it my "Fucked Up Journal" since I only write in it when I'm feeling fucked up. Which was pretty much all of the time. I wrote down my thoughts, dark secrets, poems, and sometimes drew based on what I was feeling. It was kind of a therapy journal to me.

I was thankful that Izzy knew my locker combination and brought me my gym clothes. Of course my mom and dad wanted to know why I wore them home instead of my actual clothes. I could have just told them I spilled my food on me, they would have believed it, but I hate lying to them. So I quickly threw a load of laundry in after I changed so Mom wouldn't see my food covered clothes. I tried pre-treating them and now we just have to wait and see if they're heading for the trash or not.

I wasn't sure why everyone treated me like crap. They hadn't always treated me this way. I had been in school with most of the same people for years. But none of them liked me all of a sudden. I guess I was the odd kid out. Izzy was the only person who actually liked me in our school. I also had Olivia, but she goes to a private school. Izzy and Olivia had been around me since we were babies though since our dads were close friends.

I looked up from my journal when my door opened.

"Why are you still up?" Dad asked and I shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep." I say and he nodded but stayed where he was.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" I gave him a fake smile and nodded.

"Of course," I said and he stared at me for a few moments longer. which made me nervous. I tried so hard to be strong and happy for those around me. I just wanted to be the joyful daughter they deserve. My brothers never went through this. Liam was popular but not one of those jerky populars. He was kind and sweet and made friends with everyone no matter what. Rowan could also make friends with anyone, but he was a little more closed off and quiet. He was the smart one and he's gone far now. They both have. Rowan was in school to be a doctor and Liam was the guitarist in a famous band.

"Okay, try not to stay up too late. Love you," Dad said with a smile.

"I will. Love you, too," I said before blowing him a kiss, something I knew he liked me doing. His smile widened and he blew one back to me before leaving the room. I went back to writing. I knew I would be up late. I always am. I have a horrible time sleeping anymore and I knew tonight wouldn't be any different.

\--------------

**The Next Day:**

School was finally over. I just had to get through the name calling and harassment I always face in the hallways and then I'm free. I hurried through the crowd of people, the names and comments really hurt but it wasn't anything new.

"Freak."

"Slut."

"Emo bitch." And the list just goes on and on. I finally made it to the door and I thought I was safe. But there were three guys sitting on the steps out front of the school. Jake Thomas, Tyler Underlin, Bryon Snaps. The three jerks of the school with zero respect for girls. I didn't want to walk past them, but I knew they had no intentions of leaving any time soon. I finally got up the courage to walk past them. I had to squeeze between Tyler and Bryon, their heads at waist level on me. Tyler and Jake were whistling at me and Bryon reached up to try to push my skirt up.

"Stop!" I yelled, shoving his hands away only for him to reach out again. They were all laughing as Tyler helped Bryon try to lift my skirt. In the middle of fighting them, I fell down the stone steps. They were laughing and I was embarrassed. My skirt had fallen up and my panties were exposed to everyone standing near by. Everyone was laughing and I felt like crying as I covered myself up again. That's when I noticed Jake had his phone pointed at me. I stood up and stormed up to him.

"Did you take a picture?" I demanded to know. He gave me a smug look and turned his phone to show me. There I was, laying on the ground with my dark purple panties showing. "Delete it!" I yelled, grabbing for the phone. He kept it from me though.

"No way, this is gold! I'm sending it to everyone."

"No!" I yelled, grabbing for the phone again. Tyler stood up and held me back while Jake sent the picture to everyone. I had tears falling down my cheeks now. I was beyond embarrassed and upset. I finally broke free from Tyler's grip and ran down the sidewalk. I live a good distance from the school, but I didn't care. I had to get out of there. Once I reached the nearby park, I went to sit on one of the benches. I allowed myself to sob. To get it all out. I grabbed my bag and dug through one of the inside pockets until I found a mint tin. I opened it and found what I was looking for. My razor.

I got up and went to the little restroom near the entrance of the park. I locked myself in a disgusting stall and lifted my shirt up. I began dragging the blade across my stomach, gasping at the pain. I began crying again as I watched the blood from the five cuts I made. I used some tissue to keep the blood from getting on my skirt. No one knew I did this. Not even Izzy and I told her everything.

I ended up making a few more cuts before deciding that was good. I let them bleed for a while before trying to make them stop. I ignored my phone the few times it rang. I knew it was Izzy because of the ringtone. I figure she was worried since I wasn't on the bus. I would explain it to her later. I was happy that nobody else from school had my number. I would hate to hear what people were saying about that stupid picture. After I was positive the bleeding had stopped, I leaned back against the wall. I kept my shirt up to allow some air to get to the cuts. I wanted to wait a little while before calling someone to come get me.

I stayed in the stall for about twenty minutes. I was just leaning against the wall and letting myself calm down. I finally walked out and back to the park bench. I sat down and pulled out my phone. I dialed my mom's number and got no answer. I then remember that she was babysitting a neighbor's two girls today and probably wasn't near her phone. So I decided to call my dad. Once again, no answer. I felt angry because of that. Neither one of them answered. I could be dying or being kidnapped and they won't answer their freaking phones. They always answered their phones when Rowan or Liam called, no matter what they were doing.

_'That's because they're more important than you.'_ The stupid voice in my head said. It always tried to convince me that I was worthless and nobody cared about me. It was doing a pretty good job. I tried their phones again, but still no answer. I finally called Izzy.

"Oh my god! Where are you? Why weren't you on the bus? And what is with this picture?" She said the last part really quietly which meant one of her parents was probably nearby.

"Stupid Jake and his stupid phone," I said as the tears built up again.

"It's been posted on Facebook." She said sadly and I grabbed at my hair. Of course it was.

"What was posted on Facebook?" I heard her dad ask.

"It's nothing dad, just a stupid picture." She answered and I was kind of thankful that she didn't tell him. Vic was like a second dad to me, the same was true for Izzy and my dad. Our parents were all close and raised us together, so we were kind of adopted into each other's families.

"I'll tell you what happened later, okay?" I told her.

"Okay," she said.

"Do you think your dad could come get me? I'm at Porter Park near the entrance." I told her. She asked her dad and then told me he would be there soon and then asked if I could come back to the house. I told her sure and then we hung up. I got on Facebook. I had a few people on my page from school who I thought weren't that bad, but even they were sharing the stupid picture. One of them was a guy I had known since third grade and had a huge crush on at one point. His name is Lee and it killed me to see that he shared the picture. I was just happy that nobody had tagged me in the photo. The last thing I needed was my parents finding out.

I jumped when Vic suddenly dropped down on the bench beside me. "So want to explain to me why you're here?" He asked and I shook my head no. "Okay, why weren't you on your bus?"

"Because I didn't want to be on it." I answered and he nodded slowly for a few moments before asking another question.

"Do your parents know you're here?"

"No, they won't answer their phones when I call. I doubt they care either way." I regretted saying that as soon as it came out.

"Cope, your parents are crazy about you and love you more than anything. Why would you think they don't?" I shrugged, not wanting to answer that. "Look, if something is going on, you can always talk to me. I know what it's like to feel like nobody cares." He said before putting his arm around me. I leaned into him as more tears fell down my cheeks. He rested his head on top of mine and held me tight as I cried.

After I was done crying, I pulled away from Vic. Maybe this all had gone too far. I mean, there's a pretty revealing pictures being sent around of me and it's killing me. Maybe Vic could help?

"Do you promise if I tell you something you won't tell anyone?" I asked nervously.

"I can't promise that. If it's something that's putting you in danger, then I have to tell your parents. But I can promise that no matter what it is, I'll be here for you." I thought about his words for a moment.

"Will you even tell my parents for me so I don't have to disappoint them?" I felt more tears coming.

"Of course, but no matter what is going on, you're not going to disappoint them." I only nodded as I thought about how to put this or even where to start.

"Okay, most of the people at school have been bullying me every single day. I thought there were a few I could trust, but I can't. Today, some guys were trying to.... to lift my skirt up and I tried to make them stop and in the middle of fighting them I fell down the stairs... Well, um," I stopped talking and took my phone out. I searched for the picture before handing the phone to him. He looked down at it and instantly looked away again.

"They took that picture and sent it to everyone at school. It's been posted all over Facebook. I just want it all to end." I said, breaking down again. Vic looked angry but also kind of sad. He wrapped his arms around me again and let me cry.

"Have they done anything else to you?" He asked when I calmed down a bit.

"They call me names and harass me in the hallways. It's not just the guys, the girls do it, too. I don't want to be there anymore." I told him and his grip tightened in a protective way.

"Cope, I was bullied every day when I was in school, too. I know what you're feeling and I have a serious question for you. I don't want you to take this the wrong, but I need an honest answer. Have you done anything to yourself? Or tried?" I didn't want to answer. I knew Vic would understand, but I couldn't let all of them down. But I was sure that my silence gave him the answer he needed."Cope, if you're hurting yourself we need to know. I promise you that there are other ways to deal with this."

I thought some more and he stayed quiet to see if I would answer. I finally took a deep breath before standing up. I lifted my shirt up to just below my bra to show my stomach and sides. I cut pretty much anywhere on my mid-section that I could so it looked horrible. I saw the shock on Vic's face as he stared at me. I was feeling self-conscious so I lowered my shirt and crossed my arms. Vic stood up and instantly hugged me tight.

"Oh my god, Cope." He said and it sounded like he was about to cry. "Okay, we need to talk to your parents about all of this. I'll talk to them and you can stay in the room or leave, whichever you would rather do. But they need to know. This has to end, Copeland." I only nodded since I didn't trust my voice. He picked up my bag and led me to his car.

"Okay, can you pull that picture up on your phone for me? And are you staying?" Vic asked when we got to my house. He had called both of my parents and told them that something had happened and he needed to talk to them. He told them it was about me, that I was okay and I was with him, but that this was serious and needed to be talked about immediately.

"I would rather not be there when they first hear about it." I said and he nodded in understanding. I handed him my phone after finding the picture and then we got out of the car. I ran up the stairs and Vic went to the kitchen with my parents. I heard him tell them that I didn't want to be there when they found out. They both looked really scared and I couldn't handle seeing them like that. I stopped at the top of the stairs and waited until I was sure they were in the kitchen before sneaking back down. I sat down to listen.

"What happened to my daughter, Vic?" Dad asked, sounding angry and scared.

"Kellin, I need you to calm down. If you flip out right now you're going to scare Cope."

"Alright, fine, I won't flip out. Now tell me what is going on." Dad demanded.

"I should check on her," Mom said.

"You can after we're done talking. I swear she's okay right now and you know I wouldn't lie to you." There was silence so I figured my parents were calming down and Vic was waiting. "Okay, Cope told me that the kids at school have been bullying her daily. They call her names and harass her in the halls. Today, some boys were trying to lift her skirt up and she was fighting them off and fell down the stairs. One of them took this picture." There was a moment of silence.

"Son of a bitch," my dad said in a quiet, angry tone. I had never heard him use that tone before and it honestly scared me. "Who took this? I want names. We'll take their sorry asses to court for harassment. Who posted that fucking picture? Lee Briggs, we'll press charges against that little fucker, too." I felt my heart speed up and my eyes got wide. We couldn't do that. It would just make things worse.

"I don't know the names because she didn't tell me. There's something else you need to know though and I need you to calm down." Vic said, his voice was calm, but it was clear he was freaking out a little too. None of us kids have ever dealt with this. Vic and Danielle had Izzy and her brother Daunte and neither one of them were bullied. Rowan and Liam were never bullied either. So this was new.

"What is it?" Mom asked and I heard Vic sigh loudly. I knew this was hard on him, but I really appreciated him doing this. I knew I wouldn't be able to do it myself.

"Cope isn't dealing with all of this very well... She showed me that she has cuts all over her stomach and sides." It sounded like it hurt Vic to say that. It made my heart drop. I never meant to hurt any of them.

"Oh my god. I have to see her," Dad said. I got up to try to run upstairs, but it was too late. Both of my parents were in the door way staring at me. My mom had tears rolling down her cheeks and Dad had tears in his eyes. I had never seen my dad cry before and I hated that I was the reason he was now. "Cope, come here," my dad said softly. I felt like they were mad even though they didn't look mad.

I walked the rest of the way down the stairs and over to them. My mom instantly pulled me into a hug and Dad wrapped his arms around both of us. I cried into my mom's shoulder.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"No, sweetie, there's nothing to be sorry about." Mom told me.

"Cope, I want to see your cuts." Dad said and I pulled away from Mom. I wasn't sure if this was a good idea. I hesitated for a few moments, but I finally lifted my shirt. I noticed Vic had looked away. I don't blame him. It wasn't a pretty sight. My mom began crying more as she saw them and tears finally fell down my dad's cheeks. He looked pissed off. His tone was soft and caring though. "Why didn't you tell us you were having problems at school?" I put my shirt back down and shrugged.

"I didn't want to be a burden." I admitted. My dad seemed hurt by the comment.

"Cope, you will never be a burden on us. We love you, you're our baby. We would have helped you so you wouldn't feel the need to do this to yourself." I felt a bit embarrassed. I knew it was wrong, but for some reason it made me feel better. "I want all of your razors and we're keeping all of the others in our room. When you need one to shave, you'll have to ask so we know when you have one." Dad told me. I guess I should have seen that coming.

"Um, you might also want to take all of the pencil sharpeners and kitchen knives for now. And don't be too hard on her if she does relapse. It's apart of recovery." Vic told them and they nodded. "Also, Cope, if you ever need to talk but don't want to talk to your parents, you're more than welcome to talk to me. I'll keep my phone on and near me at night, too. Call me whenever." I gave him a small smile.

"Thanks," I said quietly.

"Now, I want the names of the boys who were harassing you today." Dad said, his voice and eyes were dead serious.

"I don't want to go to court," I said. He looked like he was about to go all "I'm your father and you will do as I say" on me, but then his expression softened after staring at me for a moment.

"I'm at least taking it to your school and then we'll decide what to do from there. Now, names," he said and I bit my lip. Would it be a mistake to tell them? "Cope, we can put you in a different school and you will never have to see any of them again. Hell, I'll move you across country and home-school you if that's what needs to be done." I smiled a little at that.

"Jake Thomas, Tyler Underlin, and Bryon Snaps." I told him and he nodded.

"We'll go to your principal first thing in the morning. You can skip tomorrow if you want." Dad told me and Mom was nodding in agreement with him. I only nodded as I stared down. This was such a mess and I knew it was going to get worse.

"W-What do you know about the school Olivia goes to? She seems to like it there." I said, hoping they wouldn't say no.

"Maybe private school is better. I know they still have their trouble students, but even Jesse says that it's a good school. He's tried to get us to transfer her there before." Dad said to Mom quietly though I'm sure they knew I could still hear.

"We'll talk more about it later," Mom said and he nodded. "Has anything else happened? Have they done anything else to you?" Mom asked and I nodded.

"Um, I was tripped in the cafeteria the other day which is why I came home in gym clothes, my others were covered in food... They once wrote notes and stuck them to my locker and then I would find them stuck to me through out the day."

"What did the notes say?" Mom asked.

"Freak, bitch, whore, slut, kill yourself, ugly, fat, and just things like that." I said, rubbing my arm. I felt really uncomfortable right now. These were my dark secrets and problems. I felt really exposed telling three of the most important people in my life about them. My parents and Vic looked shocked, sad, and angry.

"I hope you know none of that is true. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this, but I promise you that it ends now. This is not going to keep happening to you. No matter what we have to do, we will end this." Dad told me and I only nodded. I didn't believe him though. If nobody liked me in this school, what made them think a different school would make things different? I was going to be hated no matter what. Plus, everyone would see the same things the people at my current school see in me.

"Vic, thank you so much. I'm glad she opened up to you about this because I hate to think what would have happened had she not." Mom told him and he smiled a little.

"No problem, I love these kids. It kills me to see one of them hurt." He said the last part while staring right at me. I felt bad for putting them all through this. "And I mean it, if you need anything, call me."

"Thank you... for everything," I told him and he smiled at me.

"I'm gonna head on home, but I want to know how things go tomorrow." Vic said before hugging me. "I love you, girl," he said, holding me tight.

"I love you, too." It wasn't uncommon for our families to show affection for each other like this. We were all more like family than friends. After Vic left, my parents allowed me to go shower. Of course Dad went through and got all of the razors except for one. I didn't harm myself though, I wanted to get better for them. I didn't want to put my parents through more than I already had. I knew my parents would be discussing options for me and how we were going to handle this all. In all honesty, I was starting to wish I hadn't said anything. I guess they would have found out eventually. Maybe it was best to get it over with now.

I was laying in bed but couldn't sleep. I was too afraid of tomorrow. What if things don't go well? I heard my door open, but I didn't move. I wasn't in the mood to talk anymore. I figured it was my dad by the heavier footsteps. When he brushed some hair from my face I knew it was him.

"I love you, baby girl," he said before kissing my head. He then left and quietly shut the door. I felt like crying again and I wasn't sure why. I guess the voices had convinced me for so long that my parents would be furious with me if they ever found out, but they weren't. They were scared and worried. They really do care about me and I hate that I didn't trust them.

I was worried that I would close myself off from them again out of fear. I don't want them to realize how bad I really am and decide they're done. I don't want them to lock me away in some hospital just so they don't have to deal with me. But I would understand if they did. I am hard to deal with. I'm honestly surprised Izzy and Olivia stayed with me as long as they have. Part of me always wondered if it was just because our families were close.

Would Izzy and Olivia leave me after they found out about the cutting? Maybe I don't have to tell them. What if Vic tells Izzy? Will she refuse to talk to me because of this? It's a disgusting and shameful thing. At least that's the way people seem to view it. What about my brothers? What are they going to think about all of this? They both were really close to me even if they aren't here all of the time. They have their own busy lives, but still make time for me. Was that going to change now?

There was one thing I knew for sure though, the next few weeks were going to be hell.

**Author's Note:**

> I really do have a "Fucked Up Journal." I think it helps to get all my feelings out.  
> I hope this was good enough. I did proofread, but I'm horrible at it, so I'm sure there are mistakes.


End file.
